


Warrior's Dance

by CoyoteXVX



Category: AFI
Genre: Gen, Laser Tag, STS era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 16:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11672931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoyoteXVX/pseuds/CoyoteXVX
Summary: Jade would really like to know why the entire world wants him to fail. Davey would really like to know why he ever listens to Jade.





	Warrior's Dance

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from a Prodigy song of the same name, and besides it having the right vibe to play during laser tag, it has very little to do with the events in the story. (I would even suggest listening while reading to set the mood)

Industrial twinged techno beat through the metal and wood structures, coated in a combination of blacklight activated paint and regular spray paint. Jade’s pulse thrummed a little higher than normal, left hand securely gripping the barrel of his laser gun, right hand wrapped around the handle, poised to shoot. He chewed on his lip and his gaze darted around, the music too loud for him to try and single out any sounds of anyone approaching him. Five of the allotted fifteen minutes had passed, and he had lost Davey in the first twenty seconds.

He was crouched below an opening atop one of the ramps. He heard a thud from behind, followed by a laugh that belonged to Hunter and a “Sorry!” from Adam. Without hesitation, he slid down the ramp silently, wondering where Davey could be hiding, among other things.

Why couldn’t they have picked free for all instead of teams? Who even makes teams when there are only four players? Why did he get stuck with the one who stays hidden the entire time, essentially turning it into Everyone Against Jade? He raced across the only open area in the laser tag zone, feeling too exposed and— Goddamn it! He took a shot to the back, and the blue lights on his vest went out while Hunter and Adam high-fived each other. They came barreling down the ramp after him. He turned around, waiting 4, 3, 2, 1 for his lights to turn back on and his gun to become useable again. He fired wildly in their general direction, eyes flitting back and forth between his pursuers and the opening in front of him.

Jade hit Adam’s shoulder, smiled at the jolt of joy he felt when Adam’s vest went dark, and turned a corner as quickly as his spindly legs would allow. He smashed into Davey and practically swallowed the barrel of his teammate’s gun.

“Well, fuck, it’s about time we found each other,” Jade’s voice came out low once he tore his face away from the hard plastic and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sorry if I knocked the wind out of you. Ad and Hunter are right around the other side of this wall, probably waiting. Now, are we gonna work together and win this game or what?”

Davey grinned, teeth glimmering in the ultraviolet lights. “Let’s do this.”

They threw themselves recklessly out of their hiding spot, fingers rapidly squeezing the triggers over and over, but Adam and Hunter were not out there. Jade scratched the back of his head.

“Sneaky bastards,” he said. He motioned for Davey to follow him and began creeping closer to the big, open area, back pressed to the makeshift wall. He peered around the side. All clear. He nodded at Davey, encouraging him to keep following. They dove into a giant plastic tube, crawling to the other end leading into a maze like section of the course. Four sturdy boards only three feet taller than their heads were joined to make something shaped like a revolving door, except that it could not move.

“We’re going to ambush them,” Jade whispered. “I’ll boost you up onto the cross section and you’ll just wait for one or both of them to show up. I can probably lure them over if they don’t come over here on their own. Once you shoot ‘em you can get down,” Jade lowered himself to one knee, fingers laced together in a cup for Davey to step on. He hoisted his black haired bandmate up and narrowly avoided being kicked in the head as Davey clambered around on the boards.

“Don’t leave me sitting up here all by myself!” Davey whisper yelled after he settled on his assigned perch.

“I won’t be long,” Jade reassured him, ducking out of the small space. Less than a minute later, he came sprinting back from a different side, Hunter and Adam on his tail. He didn’t even glance at Davey as he jogged around the cross section. He flattened himself against the side farthest from the way he returned, waiting for them to come around.

Davey managed to shoot Hunter somewhere on his vest, but he missed Adam.

“Shit!” Hunter hissed, searching for his shooter. Jade stepped out and shot Adam, then disappeared around the corner. Davey hoped he would go unnoticed, but with Adam and Hunter’s lights out, his flashing vest gave him away.

Hunter, being shot first, regained his ability to shoot before Adam, and he wasted no time taking Davey out. Davey sighed, resigned. The other two abandoned him to chase Jade down and raise their scores. Davey felt relief knowing they weren’t going to stick around and keep shooting him despite the fact that he made an easy target, an actual sitting duck.

He looked at the concrete below and sweat pricked his palms. He couldn’t find it in himself to jump down. He couldn’t exactly call for help, either. Not because he cared about winning; he entered the game prepared to lose. He just knew that they would never let it go that he cried for help because he was stuck like a cat in a tree.

Davey didn’t wake up knowing he would embody so many animals today.

Jade tiptoed up the ramp and obscured himself behind a large sheet of tin overlooking the main part of the arena. He popped his head up over the edge to see Adam and Hunter appear out of the plastic tube. Feeling dramatic, Jade released a breath he’d been holding and shot Adam. He tilted his gun and shot Hunter too.

The music stopped, signaling the end of the game. Hunter and Adam headed toward the exit, and Jade lagged behind, waiting for Davey to reappear.

“Guys, one second, Davey’s still in here somewhere,” Jade explained and turned around. He went through the tube and retraced his steps to the static revolving door, immediately spotting Davey still roosting on top. “Dave, what the hell?”

“Please just get me off of this.”

“How? You’re just going to have to trust yourself and hop down.”

“I can’t do that. Get a chair or something, I don’t care, but don’t make me jump off.”

“Dave, come on. I don’t think they even have chairs here. I promise, you won’t get hurt. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

They sat quiet for a minute before Davey readied himself, tentative hands clutching the surfaces on both sides of his body. He took a breath and then slid his hips forward, so half of his body dangled down while his hands and wrists supported a majority of his weight.

“You’re practically on the ground, your feet are, like, even with my stomach. You don’t have far to go, for real,” Jade touched Davey’s black clad calf, a gesture meant to be soothing. Davey pushed himself the rest of the way off the top, feet hitting the floor. “Wasn’t so bad, huh?” Jade wrapped an arm around Davey’s waist, doing some light mental gymnastics to justify why this action was also for Davey’s comfort. He retracted his arm after a few seconds of wordlessness.

“Let’s get going so we can see the final score,” he choked. His cheeks burned as they trekked back out into the real world.


End file.
